Water-closet disinfectant-holder.



D. A BROWN.

WATER'CLOSET DISINFECTANT'HOLDER. APPLICATION man ocr. l. |914.

[lllAA Pamd July 6, 1915.

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Application led October 1, 1914.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID A. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Voodbridge, in the .county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tater- Closet Disinfectant-llolders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to water closet disinfectant holders, and belongs in the same class with devices intended to be arranged within the bowls of water closets, and constructed to hold soluble bodies of disinfecting substances or cleansing materials inthe path of the flushing water.

This invention is believed to be an improvement on such devices now in common use or on sale, in the following particulars: In all the disinfectant holders for water closets with which the applicant in this case is acquainted, and inwhich balls of disinfecting and cleansing materials vare employed, the balls are either held in one position by a wire container, or are arranged side by side upon a sheet metal supporter. The holders are all of metal. It has been found in practice that all metal containers or ,cages for the balls -of whatever form such containers maybe, soon corrode and cause the balls toadhere` to them, even when the balls at the outset were freely movable. The balls being held against free movement, become themselves coated with filth, which communicates and spreads over and throughout the container. Thus, in place 4of operating to disinfect, deodorize and .clean the `boivl of thecloset, the ballsthemselves, usually, a considerable time beforethey would be consumed in the regula-r service of the water closet, become a source of contamination.

lt is the object of this invention to produce a disinfectant holder for water closets which is not made of metal alone, but, which may be composed either in whole or in part of Celluloidy or hard rubber. Those substances are found ,to be particularlyv durable for the peculiar situation and service reuired, and they do not corrode and accumulate filth to the same extent as do the exposed metals. v

Tt is a further object of this invention to construct a holder of celluloid orof hard rubber for balls of disinfecting materials, the ,said holder having special formation and .arrangement of its parts whereby .it is specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, T915.. serial no. .sc/i416.

believed the balls are never held in any one position, but are floated up, thrown about, and rotated one `against another by the water when the closet is flushed. The constant attrition between .the balls' and .the holder operates to maintain all surfaces freefrom objectionable n`natter.and` the solution of the balls is materially aided and their function as disinfecting agents correspondingly augmented.

Of the accompanying drawings setting forth the construction believed to be new in this invention, Figure l, represents a side view of a water closet to which this inven- -tion h as been applied, a portion of the side of the vcloset is broken away to disclose the position of this invention, a portion of which is also cutaway. Fig. 2 vis a plan view of a modified form of this invention showing the bar and the projecting teeth, before the teeth are curved. Fig. 3 is an end view of the modified form showing `one manner of arranging` the teeth to contain the disinfectant balls, and to prevent the balls from coming out of the `end of the holder or container. Fig. 4 is a `cross-sectionof the modified form of thsinvention, and shows the ends of the teeth cemented togetherforming an annular member projecting from the bar. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the preferred form of this invention as illustrated in Fig. 1. The section is taken on the Ibroken line m-m of Fig. 6, which Fig. 6 is a front view of this invention, showing the means employed to close the ends of the series of annular projecting members. Fig.

7 is an edge view ofthe endportions and part of the middle portion of the auxiliary spring. Fig. 8 is aside view of one flat side of an auxiliary spring, and showsanother method of rendering the ,end portions of the `auxiliary spring less stiff than its middle portion, for the purpose hereinafter explained. Fig. r9 is a horizontal section of a water closet bowl just below the rim, showing thisinvention in place, and this ligure is introduced to aid in the explanation as to why this invention is 'made stiffer in its middle portion than at its end portions.

Throughout the drawings and .description the same letter is used to refer tothe ,same part.

Considering the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a water closet bowl A, provided with the usual water channel Rhaving ,the discharge openings .b directed into the bowl.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, this invention comprises the longitudinal bar or body C of iieXible and more or less elastic material. The bar is provided with the spaced teeth D, and the teeth are curved in the form of "spaced rings or annular members projecting from the bar. rlhe ends of the teeth are cemented or caused to adhere to the bar by heat. rlfhere is thus formed a series of spaced annular members projecting from the bar, and one end of the cage-like tube is in practice permanently closed by a cement- Ved plate (Z, while the other end is stopped by the removable plug E. The balls e of disinfecting material are, therefore, held movably within the annular teeth;

The longitudinal member termed the backbone or bar C of this invention, is ordinarily the thickest portion, and there is embedded lengthwise in it the auxiliary spring F. The spring F is entirely inclosed in the backbone or bar C to prevent moisture from reaching the spring, a longitudinal cavity of any desired size being formed in the bar as a bed for the spring, and the opening for the insertion of the spring being finally cemented or otherwise closed watertight. ,It is importantthat the end portions ofthe spring F 'shall be less stiff than the middle portion, vand methods of accomplishing such formation are shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The end portions of the spring may be made thinner or smaller or, the end portions may be pierced with stamped holes f to render the ends less stiff. This invention is not confined toany particular construction for that purpose The reason for making the auxiliary spring a part of this invention, is to give to the whole the necessary elasticitv tokeep it in proper. positionjust beneath the rim of the l,water closet bowl as. illustrated. Again, the

reason for making the middle portion of the spring stiffer than the end portions, may be 'explained in connection with Fig. 9 of the drawings. ln that ligure it will be noted that the end portions of this invention fit the curving sides of the bowl closely. But, if the end portions of the combined bar and yspring were just as stiff as the middleportions thereof, it has been found that the end portions will not bend suiiiciently to properly conform to the shape of the bowl. The endportions would take up a position subin the same manner and for the same purpose as explained for the preferred form of this invention. The spring is marked K. The teeth J and j may have their outer ends arranged a little distance apart, as shown in Fig. 3, or, those ends may be cemented together as shown in Fig. 4, making a series of annular members projecting from the bar H.

The operation of both forms 0f this invention is the same. The balls of disinfecting and cleansing material are placed in the tubular cage formed by the bar and teeth, and the whole is bent against the force of its own elasticity and that of the auxiliary spring, and placed immediately beneath the rim of the closet, as shown in Fig. l. The 'flushing water from the openings passes through between the teeth and turns the balls while dissolving them gradually. The 'liushing waterin that way carries a quantity of disinfectant into the sewer, and, the odor of the disinfectant neutralizes any unpleasant smell in the vicinity of the closet at all times.

Having now described this invention, and explained the manner of its operation, what I claim is .1. A water closet disinfectant holder, comprising a bar composed of ieXible and elastic material provided with curved spaced teeth, the surfaces of the said bar and of the said teeth being composed throughout of nonmetallic material, and the said bar being constructed thicker than the teeth to increase the stiffness of the bar.

2. A water closet disinfectant holder, comprising a bar composed of flexible and elastic material provided with curved spaced teeth, the surfaces of the said bar and of the said teeth being composed throughout of nonmetallic material, and an elastic metal strip embedded lengthwise in the said bar.

, 3. A water closet disinfectant holder, comprising a bar provided with teeth, the said `teeth each having both ends connected with infectant bodies in the path of the iushing water, the said supporting means being constructed stifl'est in the middle portion and decreasing in stiffness toward the ends.

6. A water closet disinfectant holder, comprising resilient means for supporting disinfectant bodies in the path of the flushing Water, the said supporting means having an auxiliary spring extending lengthwise thereof, the middle portion of the said spring being constructed stiffer than the end portions thereof.

7. A Water Closet disinfectant holder, comprising a bar provided with means for supporting disinfectant bodies, the said bar being bendable, and an auxiliary spring Connected with the bar, the middle portion of the said spring being constructed stiffer than the end portions thereof.

8. A water closet disinfectant holder, comprising a bar provided With means for supporting disinfectant bodies, the said bar being bendable, and an auxiliary spring embedded lengthwise in the said bar, the middle portion of the said spring being stiffer than the end portions thereof.

9. A Water closet disinfectant holder, comprising a series of substantially annular members spaced apart, the said members being connected together side by side forming a skeleton tube, means for closing the ends of the tube, and the surfaces of the said annular members and of the connecting portions being formed of Celluloid.

10. A container for antiseptic bodies com- I prising a tube formed of a series of spaced apart and concentrically disposed Celluloid rings, a Celluloid backbone extending longitudinally of the tube and connecting said rings in order and Celluloid end caps for closing said container.

11. A flexible and Water-proof container for antiseptic bodies comprising a tube having the surface thereof formed of Celluloid and a longitudinally extending metallic spring embedded in the Wall of said tube and adapted to Cause the container to return to its normal shape When distorting strains thereon have been removed.

l2. A flexible container for antiseptic bodies comprising a tube formed of a series of concentrically disposed and longitudinally spaced apart rings, a flat backbone connecting said rings in order transversely thereof and forming a continuation of each ring Circumferentially thereof, and a flat spring embedded in said backbone and having tapered ends adapted to lie flatly between supporting members.

'In testimony whereof I a'liix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

DAVID A. BROWN.

Witnesses:

R. MANN, HENRY Bossnr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

